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CHN 373: Confucian Classics

Course Guide to CHN 373W/EAS 374W/REL 374W by Dr. Maria Franca Sibau

Evaluating Sources

Questions to ask:

  • Have you used a variety of sources?
    • Compare and contrast the information you find with several authors and and array of sources such as books, Emory dissertations, journal articles, and studies.
    • Comparing and contrasting the information will help you in identifying any bias and enhance the validity and reliability of your research.
  • What are the author's qualifications and affiliation (i.e., where does the author work)?
  • What is the date of the publication? Is the information out-of-date for your topic?
  • Who's published it? Is it a university press -- in which case the material is more likely to be scholarly -- or a well-known publisher?
  • Is the information valid and well-researched? That is, are the author's ideas supported with research documented by footnotes, a bibliography, and/or a works cited page.

For more information, please go to:

Critically Analyzing Information Sources: Critical Appraisal and Analysis by Cornell University Library.

Evaluating Web Sites

To evaluate a website, you need to consider those categories according to Cornell University Library, namely the accuracy, the authority, the objectivity ad the currency of web documents.  For details please check:

Evaluating Web Pages: Questions to Consider by Cornell University Library

Plagiarism

What Is Plagiarism

Using the work of another scholar without proper citation, whether that work is available in print or online, is plagiarism, a violation of the Emory Honor Code.  See the Citing your Sources guide for more information.

Style Guides

The Emory Libraries Citing Your Sources Research Guide provides information on why to cite sources, how to avoid plagiarism, how to avoid common mistakes, and a list of style manuals.

You can also visit websites with basic guidelines on how to use common style formats, such as:

    Duke University Libraries, Citing Sources (Chicago and APA styles)

    OWL at Purdue, APA Formatting and Style Guide